News Release

Oct. 28 talk by Peter Sagal promisesbehind-the-scenes peek at his NPR show

DeKalb, Ill. — Peter Sagal—host of NPR's popular program, “Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!”—will make an appearance on campus later this month to help Friends of Northern Illinois University Libraries celebrate its 25th anniversary.

Sagal will be the featured speaker at the anniversary celebration, beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, at the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center, 231 N. Annie Glidden Road. A reception with a cash bar and hors d'oeuvres will be held prior to Sagal's 7:45 p.m. talk, titled “Behind the Scenes at ‘Wait, Wait…Don't Tell Me!' ” The talk will be followed by a book signing.

Tickets to the event cost $25 and can be purchased by calling Angie Schroeder at (815) 753-8091.

Sagal has been the host of “Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me!” since May 1998. The program attracts 2.5 million listeners each week, as Sagal, NPR veteran newscaster Carl Kasell and well-known guest panelists discuss and review current events of the week in the form of a quiz. Sagal also travels the country with his quiz show playing at sold-out theaters.

Additionally, Sagal is author of “The Book of Vice (Naughty Things and How to Do Them),” a series of comic essays about people who misbehave and why. Copies of the book will be available for purchase during Sagal’s NIU appearance courtesy of Arcadia Discount Books, 203 E. Locust St., which also will have displays of the book at its store in anticipation of the event.

A native of Berkeley Heights, N.J., Sagal attended Harvard University and has worked as an actor, literary manager, stage director, travel writer, essayist and ghostwriter. He also has penned numerous plays that have been performed in large and small venues across the country and abroad. He now lives in Chicago with his family.

The Friends of NIU Libraries was founded in 1983 as an association of library supporters interested in developing and supporting the resources of University Libraries. Through membership, gifts and bequests, the group provides funds for the purchase of materials that the library is unable to acquire. Throughout the year, the Friends also hosts speakers, programs and book appraisal fairs open to the public.